Security printing relates to the practice of manufacturing a media substrate with certain security indicia/features to prevent forgery and counterfeiting of items such as passports, checks, bank notes, and prescription pads. As should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, security printing can include, for example, the inclusion of non-embossment security features such as watermarks, UV coatings, security fibers, microprinting, holograms, phosphorescent inks, and pantographs (e.g., “void”) etc. in the manufacture of the media substrate. Security documents (documents with security features/patterns) are used across a diverse marketplace to deter fraud, counterfeiting and theft. In most cases, the security features are pre-printed on media. The pre-printed media must be stored in a secure location so that counterfeiters and thieves are not able to obtain the secure media which would allow them to freely print fraudulent documents.
There are some printers that can print these secure patterns on demand on standard media. The advantage of these “security printers” is that standard media does not have to be secured from theft as the secure documents can be created on demand.
However, security printers are potential targets for counterfeiters. Counterfeiters desiring to commandeer a security printer may resort to hacking into a printer, or stealing the printer outright. A hacked or stolen printer would represent a potential large-scale security breach because the potency of a single printer to generate so many counterfeit documents. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to detect when a printer is hacked or stolen, and to lock the printer or alternatively to notify the user that a printer has potentially been stolen.